Imperium | Chapter 1 - Life Death Rebirth
Emiya Shirou opened his eyes. Null. Just nugatory space. Void. His vision blurred, flecks of dark runes forced themselves into his sight. Suffering.
His rust-colored hair was matted over his forehead, ominously glistened with black sweat. His usually sleek and narrow face was now scrunched up— steadfastly etched with pain, while the contours of his cheekbones seemed to seeped of and contain an ancient evil. The thoughts in his head ran while as the black glyphs forced themselves slowly further into his vision, as he thought back to his final recollections of the holy grail war, all that truly remained were the maniacal last stand of a king and the both of them being pulled into the concentrated slew of darkness.
Tendrils of black lighting ruptured the silence of the void as the violent thrum of the black markings reached covered all in his vision. Shirou closed his eyes, breathing heavily, his concentration was solely focused on the suppression of the primitive source of suffering present in the black glyphs.
His grip tightened. Dirty uncut nails dug deep into the folds of his palms as a spark of blue lightning cracked at his fist. He was ready to truly depart from the world, forever disappearing into the abyss— forgotten.
"It is not the time for you to leave yet."
His eyebrows furrowed as his resolve wavered.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Just," the voice wavered, "one reaching the end of his journey."
A piercing light. An absolutely wonderful light descended, enough to bring salvation into the abyss twice over. A light that powers even through the corruption of darkness.
The light of God.
"In the good times and in the bad, whatever I am and have," the light grew brighter, and warmer, as it pushed out against the black markings, "I place in your hands. For it is finished and into your hands, I commit my spirit. Emiya Shirou, you are worthy."
In a brilliant flash of light, one more majestic than any. The father had disappeared from the world. A boy defined by fire. Born in steel and clad in iron. Yet, his tale never ended; for he had placed upon himself the soul of the Lord.
Shirou felt a burning feeling. Not one of heat but one of the cold. Flakes of frost had formed on his tattered jeans, reduced to nothing but a pair of torn up shorts. His shirt was in pieces. Pulverized. Nothing remained of the nostalgic shirt holding the values of his previous life.
His eye flickered open. His amber no— molten gold eyes stared into the starry night sky. Snowflakes slowly fell in slow and curvaceous motions.
To be a magus is to walk with death.
"Trace on."
A bronze blade slowly materialized, setting itself upon a beautifully engraved guard. Its pommel was inscribed with the power of warmth and safety.
Shirou once again flared his circuits, pushing what little remained of his od into the grip of the sword. And with a seemingly dull flash, its ancient runes once again flared to life. The Flaming Sword of Asaruludu, the Sumerian deity of hearth and safety.
With his prana spent, he once again drifted off into unconsciousness. His last thought was the warmth provided by his imitation. He hoped with a heavy heart that his projection of the myth would hold out before any true danger befell upon him.
Shirou parted his eyes once more, a sense of vigor and power rushed throughout his body. Powerful. More power than he had ever felt. Ignoring the distress of his creaking bones, he slowly raised his torso. His battered body moaned and groaned in protest to his movement. As he slowly raised himself up, his senses once again became active.
Burnt houses— reminiscent of conflict, demolished, with their inhabitants dispelling as ashes into the surrounding air.
A scent of fresh blood and cruel death eroded his nose. Without care, he twisted his body to face his intuition. Only to find the pale face of a woman. A river of blood trailed behind her, proof of the distance she had traveled no— crawled to reach him. Her tattered clothes hid no secrets to the suffering she endured, heavy burn marks scorched, bruises permuted her skin, face disfigured by lacerations, most likely from the sharp sting of swords, in a puddle of her own blood.
"Please," her lifeless laguna eyes stared into his ambers ones, hand outstretched to reach his, "save her."
Clutched between her bosom was a child. One that could not be older than ten, in a relatively unharmed condition. His thoughts were warped to that fateful day; of himself, devoid of hope, saved by the man he later called his father. The unconditionally relieved face of happiness and lovingness tugged at his heartstrings. Even before he had fully comprehended the significance of it, he already knew his decision. A decision sealed by the clasping of his hand around a broken shell.
"She will know salvation."
With that, the voided eyes of the woman closed. Her hand slipped through his grasp as her body went limp— pulled into the afterlife.
He observed the child, her violet eyes were opened wide, like a deer caught in the headlights. Messy hair was splayed across her teary face, dark strands dyed red with the blood of her mother.
"What is your name?" he asked, face emotionless.
A cold silence greeted him.
"-Mommy."
"-Mommy."
The eerie trance was broken by the soft sobs of the girl, and with that, his cold mask was melted. He was reminded of another young girl with snowy white hair. One who had lost her mother from the cruelty of conflict. One with no father figure to support her. One who in the end, lived a bitter life of lies. One who he should have saved from the greed of mankind.
Empowered with the fear of regret, he grasped the delicate hands of the girl. Like an angel of the heavens, he reached forward. Bringing with him the light and warmth, cutting through the harsh ice of winter. His other hand rested upon the body of the mother.
"May you rest in peace, for your child will be safe."
He pulled. With a quick heave, he brought the girl into his embrace. Cradling her to his chest and softly stroking her locks, he said with a wry smile, "My name is Shirou, what is yours?"
A quiet yet difficult croak diffused into the air. Then silence.
"Blessed be your name. Rest well Akeno, for you are saved."
A remote building stood tall, its vine infested gainsboro tiles contrasting the purple sky. A man stood on the rooftop, his stature hunched over the grey marble railing. An unshaven beard was worn upon his square face. A neat cut of hair framed his middle-aged face, one filled with wrinkles and scars. Baraqiel, Vice Governor General of the Grigori. His expression remained unreadable— hard stoic eyes adorned his gruff features as he recalled his lover. Shuri, a simple Miko who had saved his life. He thought he had truly found love, only to find it taken away from him by her family. Killed by several of his enemies while he was away, backstabbed by his own in-laws. No traces of his daughter remained either, the entire battlefield had been incinerated. The only evidence of the battle that remained was a trail of blood—no doubt Shuri's.
"She may be alive," sounded another voice, vibrating with sympathy. "You know they had never found her body."
Azazel, the Governor General of Grigori and one of his oldest friends. The tall fallen with golden bangs was without his usual childish expression. He placed one of his hands on Baraqiel sweat ridden shoulder, as he pursed his lips.
"The best of the Grigori are tracking them right now—" his hand was brutally brushed off as a defeated voice interrupted "—they're dead."
"I could feel her," tears began to stream down the blank canvas of a face, "she cried out to me, she begged me to save them."
The pure desperation he had heard in her pleas. The plea of a dying woman, one's face filled with hopelessness. Her last wish was to at least save her daughter. And with that, the floodgates opened, as streams of sorrow filled the crevices of his wrinkled face. His voice cracked slightly, and with an unsightly sniffle, he spoke once more. "And where was I?"
Why was he not by her side when she needed her the most? He had failed as a lover, and as a husband, and as a general, and as a father. The light of his life, one that he found after losing the light of God, along with his own flesh and blood had been ripped from him by others. Not by fate, but by the enemies of his in the Grigori.
"I stand here today."
Thud. A fist of pure white lightning smashed into the marble railing. Cracks began to run down its sides as it trembled.
"I am Baraqiel, 9th watcher and the lightning of God!"
Thud. With a second strike, its form crumbled under the absolute power, the entire railing was crushed.
"And those against me."
Crackle. With a final streak, the entire railing had disappeared from existence, macerated into burnt lime.
"Will perish."
"Good morning Akeno." A soft-voiced called out, the girl opened her eyes as she saw him at the door, adorned with his usual white and blue shirt. Smile on his face, "It's time for school."
"Ahhh, morning Shirou." Akeno smiled, she could smell the intoxicating scent of food from her room. That was enough incentive for her to scuffle out of bed in order to wash up. Stifling a yawn, she slowly crept towards the bathroom.
"I'll be in the kitchen," Shirou replied, moving out of the way as she passed him. "I'm sure you'll be completely ready in five minutes. Right?"
Her eyes widened, betrayal spread throughout her irises. A moment later, she hastened her approach to the bathroom and proceeded to slam the poor sliding door shut.
Grinning, Shirou made his way back to the kitchen and began to plate the morning meal. A traditional breakfast consisting of steamed rice with natto (fermented soybeans), miso soup, grilled fish, and pickled vegetables. He had always taken care in the presentation in his food. For one eats with their eyes before their mouth; and to truly stand at the peak of culinary, one most sate all the senses.
"Has it been five minutes?" Piped a playful voice, the brunette, now clad in a white button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black shoulder cape, and a matching magenta skirt. The Kuoh Academy uniform.
"No it hasn't, it's good that you made it in time." Not taking his eyes off the stove, he worked fast on the presentation of the meal.
"Breakfast will be served in a bit, go ahead and sit down."
It had been eight years since that day. Which to this day she still has no recollection of. All she knew was that day mysterious men attacked her mother and her. She had been taken in by Shirou that day, to a safety. She had been raised under his gentle care with unconditional love and care. He had taken her as his own and brought her to wander the country of Japan with him.
"Let's eat."
They had settled in Kuoh, a relatively wealthy region. Eventually, Akeno was enrolled in a prestigious private school, Kuoh Academy. Shirou had found the world to be vastly different than what he had experienced in Fuyuki city. It seemed that the age of gods had never ended in this world, and it had indeed persisted into the postmodern era. The weakened pull of Gaia allowed for his Gradation Air projections to stay indefinitely till he dispelled them. With such power, he was able to furnish the small apartment they inhabited in a sophisticated manner with spending a single penny.
He also noticed the presence of non-humans in the modern society, beings that gave off an energy that he would associate with one or multiple of the seven deadly sins— a devilish aura ran rampant at night, while those with the equilibrium of holy and unholiness would occupy nearby abandoned buildings. It was the same one he had associated with Akeno, though to a much lesser scale.
"Ara ara, delicious as always Shirou." Complimented Akeno as she dug into the humble meal prepared by Shirou. "I will never get tired of your cooking."
"I would hope that's the case," Shirou said with a smile on his face, "but unfortunately according to the law of diminishing marginal utility, there will be a—"
"There you go off again, never taking a compliment from me," complained Akeno with a pouting face, a few strands of her hair swung into her eyes.
"Shouldn't you be heading out?" Shirou quickly diverted the subject and glanced at the watch for extra emphasis. "You wouldn't want to be late for school. Now would you?"
"In that case, I'll have to bother you with cleaning up my tray," said Akeno with a sigh as she pushed her finished tray towards Shirou, "I'm off."
"Wait a minute you didn't—" and a spinning of heels and a slammed door was all he received. Shirou unconsciously rubbed his temples. This girl was getting more troublesome day by day. Thinking of her growth brought a smile to his stoic face.
Shirou picked up the tray and dropped them into the sink. He adjusted the stream to a lukewarm temperature and picked up a sponge. With a sigh and a little dish soap, he scrubbed away.
For the few years he had been living here, he had completed odd jobs around town. If you mention the name Emiya Shirou, you would most likely get impressions ranging from the electrician to mysterious dog walker. From installing furnishings to repairing appliances to renovating homes to woodworking. Nothing was necessarily outside the scope of the one who quickly became known as "Kuoh's brownie."
That was until he had stumbled upon the then principal of Kuoh Academy, and was offered a permanent job as the home economics teacher. A very sizeable salary was paid out to him for teaching students simple cooking, sewing, and household skills twice a week. The school was much like Homurahara, a similar culture, student body size, and even classes. The only difference was the beautiful western gothic architecture the school was built upon.
It was only then that he noticed a sizeable number of his student emitted the devilish aura he had found to be present during the night. He at first had a suspicion of a vampire infestation, as students previously known to him to be completely human would develop the aura seemingly overnight. Yet, those thoughts were snuffed out as he recalled the ravenous ghouls of his world, the students looked perfectly fine, albeit a little tired in daylight. He decided to withhold judgment and made sure to never use magecraft in the presence of any of the beings that had been identified as strange.
His legs once again moved him after the final plate was put upon the drying rack. Although he should be at school, his class started right after lunch. With his expertise and experience in the household, there was really no preparation required, thus he would normally spend the mornings on the two days he was required to be present at home.
However, today he was hit with a sense of prenotion. He felt that perhaps he had some obligation outside of teaching his students. Perhaps, an obligation to be present within the community of the school. His weariness towards the unknown energies of demonic origin had perhaps made him a recluse. With a different sense of vigor, he stood up and pulled his shirt from over his head. He slipped a simple suit jacket over a white button up, accompanied with a clip-on tie, for he never learned to tie one, covered by the neat folds of the black jacket. He changed out of his blue jeans and instead opted for a pair of wool dress pants, carbon black in color. With a second glance at himself in the mirror, he nodded in approval, picked up his bag and proceeded to walk out the door.
"What a beautiful day," Shirou remarked. The warm rays of the September sun kissed his skin, a cool breeze gently caressed his exposed face. The town was already alive, workers and birds alike beginning their morning routine. He began his adventure through town, living in the moment of the present. For just a few minutes a day, he was completely encompassed by the normality of it all. His thoughts would drift off to the beauty of the world, one that he promised to protect. As a champion of a distant dream. A hero of justice.
Unfortunately, the second he stepped foot on the Kuoh Academy campus, his inner tranquility disappeared. The humanoids masquerading as ordinary humans became such a mystery to him. Even though he had kept his apprehensions to himself. It didn't help dismiss any of precaution he would have to keep around them.
He smoothly entered his office, a small spartan room consisting of a dark mahogany desk and a few basic folding chairs he had taken from the gymnasium. He carefully set his bag down, as he sat down. Inside the leather bag contained a neatly stacked pile lesson plans, a laptop that showed its age with the bulk, and a lunch he had prepared for himself days before.
Knock knock.
"Come in." monotoned Shirou. He was greeted with ruffled blond hair and silly grin of Genshirou Saji, secretary of the student council.
"Teacher, the central air conditioning unit has broken down for the second time today—" began the young man, " —and president Shitori was wondering if you could take a look at it."
"Sure," grunted Shirou, feeling a headache incoming, "lead the way."
With that, Shirou terminated his short-lived rest and again stood up to become of service to other people. He followed Saji with out of his safe haven. Saji was what he would label as a newly converted. Up until just a week or two ago, he was an extremely normal albeit slightly loud student. Yet now, he struck Shirou as something not quite human anymore.
As Shirou passed the front steps of the student council, a cold feeling struck him. A hunch he called. His breath hitched, as he forced himself to calm down. Yet, he could not. For he knew something was wrong, not just with anyone, but with Akeno. With a sudden jerking motion, he spun heels and began to run the opposite way.
"Teacher!?" protested Saji, evidently confused, "Where are you going? The student council room is right here."
Ignoring his words, Shirou began to push prana into his limbs, an aqua blue glow was given off from his circuits activating. He filled the openings of his inside with his od. With slight bits of prana pushing him, he made way to the outskirts of the school's main building. Heading in a beeline towards the old school house, the base of the Occult Research Club. The place where Akeno had spent most of her time.
He burst into the building with the ferocity of a lion in distress, only to be greeted by the four pairs of surprised eyes.
"Teacher? What are you doing here?"
His worried expression faltered, all he saw was four children, gathered on luxurious sofas having lunch together. Yet it tightened again when he remembered the abnormals. The devilish aura was particularly strong on the redhead by the name of Rias Gremory. While to a lesser extent in Yuuto Kiba and Koneko Toujou, The Prince of Kuoh and the School Mascot. He was already wary of the association Akeno had with them, yet did not have the heart to tell Akeno to cut her friendships loose.
"Shirou are you alright?" Akeno asked again, this time opting for the term Shirou, concern saturated her eyes. Her eyes were still widened from the worry she saw in her guardian a few seconds ago.
"Yes," Shirou forced himself to become relaxed, "I was just here to check on your lunch."
"It's fine as always, is there something particular about it today?" Akeno pressed on, determined to find out what exactly was bothering Shirou.
"Of course not." Shirou ransacked his brain for an excuse to use, "I may have just overcooked the omelet, I hope it is to your taste. I'll be taking my leave now."
And as fast as he had burst into the room, he left the room without a trace or sound.
"Strange, isn't he?" smiled Akeno.
Rias snorted, that was for sure. Her home economics teacher had just intruded into her lunch session uninvited with unnaturally fast speed and caution. She had never seen a more guarded person around her in her life. But then again, according to Akeno, other than at home he had always been like this no matter the circumstances. She suspected something supernatural of him, yet simply could not prove it. For all intents and purposes, Emiya Shirou acted like a regular human being. A hard-working teacher who is known for his straightforwardness and willingness to help, but one who isolated himself from the greater community. But that was not the case, called it a women's intuition.
It had immensely frustrating for both herself and her friend Sona. Both had tried on multiple occasions to provoke a supernatural response to unusual events. Yet, he would always stay stoic and non-reactive, only to finish what was asked of him relatively quickly and leave even faster.
And now that he burst into the room with a sharpness that could only remind her of her brother, the mystery only grew larger.
"Koneko did you sense anything?" asked Rias with a contemplative tone, perhaps her rook would have some answers for her.
"No." The stoic first-year said, "nothing seemed unusual about Emiya Shirou."
The brows of Rias Gremory furrowed further. Koneko was the most sensitive to the supernatural and really anything in general. The fact that her acute senses could not pick up anything meant that perhaps there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Let's continue our lunch." Rias smiled and pushed the puzzle known as Emiya Shirou to the back her mind. After all, her time here on earth was a limited one.
A beautiful orb of light plastered itself across the sunset sky. The time of twilight had descended upon the town of Kuoh.
"Shirou, I'll be attending club activities after school," Akeno said slowly, wary of his strange behavior today. "Please eat first without me."
"Hmmm? Yeah sure." was Shirou's half-conscious response. His mind was still occupied with the gut feeling; there was just a slight tinge of it left. Yet Akeno stood tall in front of him, completely fine from head to toe. Perhaps he was feeling something else? Perhaps he was just overthinking it? A pair of arms slowly snaked around his torso, as Akeno leaned in close.
"I'm sure whatever you're thinking will be fine." She chimed with absolute confidence, fingers wrapped around small of his back.
Shirou slowly nodded his head, dispelling his ideas of her danger. He nodded again with more conviction and pulled Akeno in tighter.
"I'm sure it will." He muttered.
She beamed at him, with a smile bright enough to reinnervate the setting sun behind her. With a twirl of her magenta colored dress, she headed off towards the old schoolyard once again.
Shirou absentmindedly rubbed his head, as he prepared to depart home. He lifted his now empty bag onto his back, and slowly began to trot. Memories from years ago began to assault him. The pull of the grail, the curse of humanity's suffering, the mysterious light that saved him, and the inheritance he had received that day. His mind wandered further into the past, a time of war. And is reminiscences of her. The once and future king of Britain, he who would come in the time of need.
Shank.
A stab of pain hit his gut, the feeling of fear and hopelessness from hours ago came back to him tenfold. Just like the feelings of a dying woman eight years ago. Despair filled him. He knew. Akeno had to be in danger. There was zero doubt in his mind at this point. A spike of energy invaded his senses, quite far from his current location. He pushed his circuits to their utmost limit, as they began to burn, reinforcing his whole body to the limits of being human for the first time in eight years. He pushed off the ground, a crack from air pressure was barely sounded before he had disappeared.
Faster. Nerves were burned off to be converted into bastardized magic circuits as he pressed forward.
Faster. His joints creaked as energy enveloped them and propelled him forward with even more velocity.
He was lead to the front of a remained of a park fountain. The seats accompanying the fountain was marked with holes reminding him of bullet holes. A young man he recognized as Hyoudou Issei had collapsed in a puddle of dark blood, just meters away. And next to him he saw her. Akeno. His darling. Eyes closed in her own pool of blood, not knowing whether her unconscious state would be permanent.
"Oh? Another human?"
He turned, only to be faced with what could be described as an angel, a perfect humanoid with a beautiful face that could have been sculpted from marble; yet she wore a revealing dress, face set into a canvas of boredom. The black wings. They gave her away they signified an angel, one who fell from heaven.
"Who are you?" Shirou growled. Body poised to fight a moment's notice.
"You have no right to know my name." slowly, motes of light gathered into her hands. "For a dead man tells no tales." The specks of light slowly fabricated a spear. Not one of elegance material, but a cruel jagged spear that reflected the true nature of its wielder.
"So please die for me," she proclaimed.
"Trace on."
Two elaborate Chinese falchions appeared in his hands. A sword of the flattest shade black, and a sword of the purest white. Kanshou and Bakuya, the married twin swords of Yin and Yang.
The crude spear of light deflected, all in the matter of milliseconds. It drove itself harmlessly into the earthy pavement of the park and dissipated back into particles of light.
"A sacred gear?" her eyes narrowed, "a sacred gear user left hidden at this age?"
Shirou wordlessly pointed her sword towards her. A universal gestures of killing intent. And with his furious eyes, prompted her to speak.
"Who. Are. You."
"My name is Raynare." She began slowly, "and it is a pleasure for me to make tonight your last."
A maniacal spread across the face of the beautiful fallen. Spears of light appeared and were thrown at Shirou in a relentless barrage. His bodied blurred. A step forward. A raised arm. A controlled parry. His trusted his instincts, as he blurred forward into the rain of death. His body and mind moved in perfect harmony. Both at a physical and spiritual level, fulfilling the true requirements of wielding the married swords.
"Spirit and technique."
Harmony and balance.
"Flawless and firm."
In a split second decision, he charged forward, ignoring the trails of smoke emitted from cauterization.
"Our strength rips the mountains."
How droll.
"Our swords split the water."
Raynare's twisted expression changed to one of worry. A puny human was able to survive her all-out assault.
"Our names reach the imperial villa."
Her eyes scanned her surroundings till she landed upon the girl— the half-fallen brethren reeking of Baraqiel.
"The two of us cannot hold the heavens together."
Her grin returned twofold as she created another spear, and with the entirety of her might, she hurled the deathseeker towards Akeno.
"Triple-Linked Crane Wings!"
Two more sets of Kanshou and Bakuya were projected and darted towards the thrown projectile. Shirou leaped forward as the strike against Akeno was perfectly intercepted. He threw a pair of black swords— Yin towards Raynare.
"You missed." Easily tilting her head to avoid them, she grinned.
Without a word Shirou slashed down, cuts forming on the surface of Raynare's flawless skin. With a hiss she fell back she stared venomously into the amber orbs of Shirou.
"No, I didn't."
The grind of steel against flesh rang out loud and clear in the September sky as Ying returned to Yang. A look of confusion still etched onto her face as her bodied wings landed on the ground with a thud. The surge of pain finally hit her. And with it, came the wretched scream of loss.
Dispelling the other two pairs of blades, Shirou slowly walked towards her. Only to be blinded by a streak of black light as a dark figure descended in a fall of feathers.
"You really are worthless aren't you?"
"Who are you?" monotoned Shirou, unable to make out the true shape of the mysterious guest.
"K-kokabiel," tears seeped through the barely conscious eyes of Raynare, "you came."
"You were to eliminate the owner of the Longinus and the daughter of Baraqiel," sneered a man with ruby eyes. "Yet you were stopped not by the devils, but by an insignificant human."
The only response he was met with was the silent sobs of a broken woman. Shirou looked at the dark entity. Eyes narrowed. Slowly, Kokabiel turned to face him, a mere human.
"Who am I you say?"
One. Two.
"I am the fourth watcher of Grigori,"
Three. Four.
"The bearer of light, and the sword of the fallen,"
Five. Six.
"I am the harbinger of war and death,"
Seven. Eight.
"The most beautiful angel of the Father."
Nine. Ten.
"For I am Kokabiel, the Star of God."
Eleven. Twelve jet black wings in the most splendid fashion.
"It will be an honor for you to perish at my hands."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. All reviews are welcome. This story will hopefully be updated quickly, perhaps at least a chapter or two a week.
